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Eddy24
Joined: 13 Nov 2010
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 Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:33 pm Post subject: Save Jeju Island |
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The people in Jeju island don't want this base and peaceful protesters have been arrested. Besides, it is not needed. If you care about democracy then you will sign and spread this.
Sign the petition here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_jeju_island/?cl=1187206967&v=9743
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| Jeju Island is so magnificent it�s being considered as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, but the South Korean and US governments want to build a massive naval base and launching pad for ballistic missiles. Fearing national outrage, the government has suppressed the story and police are intimidating brave protesters to drop their resistance. Only a national outcry now could save this pristine coastline. |
http://www.jejuweekly.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1769
http://cryptome.org/0005/kr-crackdown-02.htm
South Korean undercover police crack down on peaceful resistance to Jeju Island naval base construction after increased international attention, Gangjeong Village mayor among those arrested
SOUTH KOREA, July 18, 2011 - Undercover police officers raided the tiny fishing village of Gangjeong on Jeju Island, off the southern coast of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and arrested three key figures in the peaceful resistance to the ROK naval base.
Since base plans were announced five years ago, Jeju residents have used every democratic means to block its construction, including filing a lawsuit against ROK Defense Minister and holding a recall vote to oust a local governor who had consented to the plan. The hugely unpopular project has caused 95% of the island's population to vote against it.
The recent South Korean aggression is in response to growing global attention to the residents' cause, including a letter of support from American feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem, and the launch of an English-language website and online petition supported by over 100 peace and religious groups worldwide.
"If we stop this naval base, it will be contagious for peace, the environment, and democracy," wrote Steinem, urging others to sign the petition. "Jeju Island means Women's Island. It stands for an ancient balance. We must save it from the cult of militarism that endangers us all, women and men."
The 400,000 square meter base will be home to a new fleet of destroyers equipped with advanced Aegis ballistic missile defense systems. Many military analysts believe that the Jeju Island naval base will serve as part of the U.S. military's sea-based ballistic missile defense system. This same technology is also a proven anti-satellite weapon.
Located strategically in the Korea Strait, the island's potential to become a military target in the event of an armed conflict will increase exponentially with this naval base, says military analyst Matthew Hoey of the Cambridge-based Military Space Transparency Project. "The Aegis missile defense system on Jeju Island is part of a much larger ballistic missile defense network overseen by the U.S. military," said Hoey. "This system has already or will soon be provided to India, Japan, Australia and South Korea, and risks forcing the hand of China's military to shore up its nuclear deterrent."
The ROK Navy expects to complete construction of the base on Jeju in 2014. Officials say the base, which would accommodate more than 20 warships, submarines, and other naval vessels will cost about 800-billion-won, or 865 million U.S. dollars. Major contractors on the base construction job include the Samsung Corporation. The South Korean President Lee Myung-bak announced commitments in 2008 and 2009 to purchase and deploy a fleet of Aegis destroyers equipped with US anti-ballistic missile and radar systems, built jointly by Hyundai and Lockheed-Martin.
Jeju, also known as "honeymoon island," attracts many tourists for its high biological diversity, and unique volcanic topography. The proposed military facility is in the pristine fishing village of Gangjeong, which is surrounded by three UNESCO sites. "The site, of outstanding aesthetic beauty, also bears testimony to the history of the planet, its features and processes," UNESCO wrote. Jeju is a finalist for the "new 7 wonders of the world" campaign for its majestic natural beauty.
Construction is in the early stages but is accelerating daily with the dredging of the island's seabed and its coral reef. In 2009 over 400 Jeju residents lost a lawsuit against Defense Minister Kim Tae-young claiming the ministry approved the construction of the base without completing a study of the environmental impact on the island.
Included among those arrested in Thursday's raid was Brother Song Kang-Ho, the village mayor Kang Dong-Kyun, and base opposition leader Ko Kwon-Il. In addition to facing up to five years in prison, the three face hefty fines.
The South Korean Navy and Minister of Justice Lee Gui Nam also issued a notice to 77 individuals and civil society organizations for disturbing the construction of the naval base, which bans them from getting into the public water or approaching the land near the Joongduk coastline where the naval base will be constructed.
For Korea analysts like Christine Ahn, executive director of the U.S.-based Korea Policy Institute, the ROK government's "repression against the villagers communicates to the world that South Korea has returned to the era of authoritarian rule." |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 12:11 am Post subject: |
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| While I don't have a dog in this fight, I would hardly call 120 acres "massive". |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:14 am Post subject: |
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| I think Jeju's status as some sort of conversation icon went out the window with all the cars and soju bottles. |
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Eddy24
Joined: 13 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:36 am Post subject: |
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Nobody in Jeju wants it. And they jailed peaceful protesters - the mayor of that village got arrested. It's not needed either. But it does give Samsung, Hyundai and Lockheed Martin lucrative contracts to build it along the way.
Conservation of the island is one thing. Stopping an acceleration of military and naval build-up in the asia-pacific region is more important in my eyes but regardless of my opinion here - nobody wants it over there. However, Mr Lee Myung-bak doesn't give a damn and will just jail peaceful protesters and deflect attention away from it. It's probably a lost cause because this is what governments do. Like my government back in the UK which went much further and actually forcibly removed the people of the Chagos islands to make way for a US military base.
This doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot of attention. I'm sure in Jeju it definitely is but does the rest of Korea really care? Or is the government doing well to keep a lid on this one?... I haven't seen much in the online Korean news that I read. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Do the people of Jeju-do object to the over-all policy and all naval bases or just the base in their back yard? |
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Koreadays
Joined: 20 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| well , what about Jeju ripping off its citizens of Korea by making everything so damn expensive! |
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goreality
Joined: 09 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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I fail to understand the idea of non citizens signing petitions. Sure there is the whole solidarity thing and global image thing, but you aren't voters. Massive hotels, leisure complexes, airport and road expansions, combined with increased amounts of visitors hardly protects the natural environment in the first place.
Well there are several outstanding sites of natural beauty in Jeju, all in all it reminded me of a visit to Niagara falls or Old Faithful. There are mostly overpriced tourist traps, cheesy theme museums, and lineups everywhere. The natural part is nicely packaged in between the Ferris wheel and the rotating observation tower, just around the corner from the Ripley's believe it or not.
A military base on the edge of the island would only minutely contribute to the damage that has already been done and is probably comparable in size to the latest proposed golf course anyway. I think if they want to protest the base they should bring up examples such as the Jeju Uprising. |
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Eddy24
Joined: 13 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| goreality wrote: |
I fail to understand the idea of non citizens signing petitions. Sure there is the whole solidarity thing and global image thing, but you aren't voters. Massive hotels, leisure complexes, airport and road expansions, combined with increased amounts of visitors hardly protects the natural environment in the first place.
Well there are several outstanding sites of natural beauty in Jeju, all in all it reminded me of a visit to Niagara falls or Old Faithful. There are mostly overpriced tourist traps, cheesy theme museums, and lineups everywhere. The natural part is nicely packaged in between the Ferris wheel and the rotating observation tower, just around the corner from the Ripley's believe it or not.
A military base on the edge of the island would only minutely contribute to the damage that has already been done and is probably comparable in size to the latest proposed golf course anyway. I think if they want to protest the base they should bring up examples such as the Jeju Uprising. |
I think they do.
Anyway, I too think that foreigners signing this will have a somewhat limited effect so I would like anyone interested to pass it on to koreans. Nonetheles, whoever shares it is helping raise awareness.
What perplexes me is the lack of any real outrage there is over the fact that Jeju residents don't want this and it is being forced upon them. Furthermore, that peaceful protesters are being arrested. One guy went on hunger strike for 71 days and spent 57 of those days in prison. Isn't this a c country that's supposed to moving away from its authoritarian past? I guess not... http://japanfocus.org/-Gwisook-Gwon/3560
I also think people should object to it for reasons other than it 'spoiling' the island's beauty, although I think that argument does have some legitimacy. I'm sure it costs a lot of money first of all. I also don't think it is needed. The real reason for this base is the strategic location in the asia-pacific region - being close to China, Russia etc. - which satisfies the vision of US imperialists. It also only increases the likelihood of a military and naval buildup in the region which I do not think is something that any of the nations in this region really wants.
Finally, surely if it was worth it, this base would seek to make residents of Jeju and the rest of Korea safer. However, I think it does exactly the opposite. In fact, I think Lee Myung-bak's general policies - however well intentioned they may be - have actually contributed to making South Korea less safe. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:12 am Post subject: |
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| Eddy24 wrote: |
I think they do.
Anyway, I too think that foreigners signing this will have a somewhat limited effect so I would like anyone interested to pass it on to koreans. Nonetheles, whoever shares it is helping raise awareness.
What perplexes me is the lack of any real outrage there is over the fact that Jeju residents don't want this and it is being forced upon them. Furthermore, that peaceful protesters are being arrested. One guy went on hunger strike for 71 days and spent 57 of those days in prison. Isn't this a c country that's supposed to moving away from its authoritarian past? I guess not... http://japanfocus.org/-Gwisook-Gwon/3560
I also think people should object to it for reasons other than it 'spoiling' the island's beauty, although I think that argument does have some legitimacy. I'm sure it costs a lot of money first of all. I also don't think it is needed. The real reason for this base is the strategic location in the asia-pacific region - being close to China, Russia etc. - which satisfies the vision of US imperialists. It also only increases the likelihood of a military and naval buildup in the region which I do not think is something that any of the nations in this region really wants.
Finally, surely if it was worth it, this base would seek to make residents of Jeju and the rest of Korea safer. However, I think it does exactly the opposite. In fact, I think Lee Myung-bak's general policies - however well intentioned they may be - have actually contributed to making South Korea less safe. |
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ZIFA
Joined: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Dici che il fiume..Trova la via al mare
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| Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Save Jeju Island |
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| Included among those arrested in Thursday's raid was Brother Song Kang-Ho, the village mayor Kang Dong-Kyun, and base opposition leader Ko Kwon-Il. In addition to facing up to five years in prison, the three face hefty fines. |
Is Korea a democracy? |
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Konglishman
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Nanjing
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:53 am Post subject: |
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| Perhaps, the US Budget Crisis will save Jeju. |
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SinclairLondon
Joined: 17 Sep 2010
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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I too am curious about whether this is a NIMBY thing, or an overall anti-military feeling in the area.
Do they support the base being built, but would just prefer it to be somewhere else, or are they against any military base being built period? |
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Zackback
Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Location: Kyungbuk
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:05 am Post subject: |
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| I think a base should be built there. |
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